Wire twitching tool

ABSTRACT

A twitching tool ( 20 ) for winding a free end ( 18   b ) of a wire ( 18 ) about a longitudinally extending support wire ( 12 ). The tool ( 20 ) comprising a body ( 21 ) having an engagement end ( 22 ) for engaging with the free end ( 18   b ) of the wire ( 18 ); a stabilising end ( 26 ) for engagement with the longitudinally extending support wire ( 12 ) and a handle portion ( 24 ) extending between the engagement end ( 22 ) and the stabilising end ( 26 ). The handle portion ( 24 ) is configured to be gripped by a user to facilitate rotation of the body ( 21 ) about the longitudinally extending support wire ( 12 ) to cause the free end ( 18   b ) of the wire ( 18 ) to be wound about the longitudinally extending support wire ( 12 ).

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of fencing, and in particular, to a tool to assist in the erection and completion of a wire fence.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fences are a vital part of livestock and forage management. A variety of fencing options exist to assist farmers and land owners in confining livestock to specific regions as well as excluding livestock accessing land not suitable for their agistment. As such, fences provide an important function in protecting crops and controlling breeding, feeding and the safety of livestock.

Over time a variety of fencing options have been developed utilising a variety of different materials, depending upon their availability and suitability. Fencing options can include stone walls or logs arranged as barriers, as well as high tension wire arranged between posts or wooden rails. Typically, the best fence is a fence that can be erected for the lowest cost and which will last for the longest time, with the ability to withstand considerable weather conditions.

A commonly employed fencing option that is suitable for most farming situations is a wire fence that comprises a barbed or smooth high-tensile wire arranged between strainer posts. Such a fence is capable of providing considerable resistance to weathering and is able to be simply converted for electrification where required. Typically, the strainer post is a timber post that is at least partially buried in the ground and which may have one or more props extending therefrom in the direction of travel of the fence. One or more support posts, which may be in the form of steel pickets or wooden posts, may be arranged between the strainer posts at regular intervals. A plurality of barbed or smooth high tensile wires may then be strung out along the fence line in a horizontal manner at vertically spaced intervals.

In order to ensure that the wires do not sag as they extend between the posts of the fence, tension is applied to the wires by way of one or more ratchet tensioners, to ensure that the vertical spacing between the wires is maintained at a desired distance. The manner in which the fencing wires are individually attached to the support posts generally requires applying a soft metal clip or wire which attaches to a hole in the support posts or otherwise extends about the support post with the free ends of the wire or clip being manually twisted about the fencing wire strand on the opposing sides of the support post.

Generally, it has been found that after a fence wire has been strung and tensioned, if the distance between the posts is sufficient, it is possible for the wires to be spread open to enable livestock to pass therethrough, especially if the tension in the wires reduces over time. One way of addressing this is to reduce spacings between the support posts; however, this can increase the costs of the fence. Another way to address this is to employ what are generally referred to as “droppers” or “stays” which are essentially in the form of battens installed at regular intervals between the posts to maintain a relatively constant separation between wires, irrespective of whether the wires are electrified or not.

“Droppers” are typically installed following the tensioning of the fence wires and droppers are installed such that they do not touch the ground so as to maintain fence flexibility. Most droppers are made from either a wood or metal material but may also include plastic rods or pipes. The dropper is typically attached to the fence wires by way of soft wire clip members that extend around the body of the dropper and which have a free end which is twisted by hand about the fencing wire strand in the manner as previously discussed.

Due to the manner in which the droppers or posts require attachment to the fencing wire strands, the process for erecting wire fences is particularly labour intensive, especially where the fence extends over a long distance and there is a need to manually attach each wire strand to each post or dropper. This action is generally referred to as twitching and whilst there have been some basic tools proposed to assist in gripping the end of the wires to facilitate the manual twisting action, most existing tools are difficult to simply use and have the tendency to cause calluses or blisters to the individual using the tool. Further, most existing tools provided for this purpose are rather crude and do not provide consistent windings of the wires, especially in fences which may vary in spacing between wire strands.

Thus, there is a need to provide a tool which can be simply used to facilitate twitching of wires in a simple and efficient manner and which is usable across a wide variety of fencing and other similar applications.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a twitching tool for winding a free end of a wire about a longitudinally extending support wire, comprising; a body having; an engagement end for engaging with the free end of the wire; a stabilising end for engagement with the longitudinally extending support wire; and a handle portion extending between the engagement end and the stabilising end, wherein the handle portion is configured to be gripped by a user to facilitate rotation of the body about the longitudinally extending support wire to cause the free end of the wire to be wound about the longitudinally extending support wire.

In one embodiment, the engagement end of the body comprises an aperture through which the free end of the wire is received. The aperture may extend substantially orthogonally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body.

The stabilising end may comprise a locating portion that is configured to be at least partially received about the longitudinally extending support wire. The locating portion comprises a hook member that hooks over the longitudinally extending support wire to support the body in position on the longitudinally extending support wire. The hook member may have a channel into which the longitudinally extending support wire is received such that as the body is rotated about the longitudinally extending support wire, the hook member remains in engagement with the longitudinally extending support wire.

The handle portion may comprise an elongate tubular member extending between the engagement end and the stabilising end. The elongate tubular member may extend substantially horizontally when the engagement end engages with the free end of the wire and the stabilising end engages with the longitudinally extending support wire, to facilitate gripping by a user. The handle portion may have a cover provided thereon for gripping by a user.

The engagement end, stabilising end and handle portion of the body may be formed integrally. In a preferred form, the engagement end, stabilising end and handle portion of the body are formed from a metal, such as stainless steel.

In another aspect, there is provided a twitching tool for winding a free end of a wire about a longitudinally extending support wire, comprising;

-   -   a body having an engagement end for engaging with the free end         of the wire;     -   a stabilising end for engagement with the longitudinally         extending support wire; and     -   a handle portion extending between the engagement end and the         stabilising end;     -   wherein when the engagement end is in engagement with the free         end of the wire and the stabilising end is in engagement with         the longitudinally extending support wire, a user can apply a         rotational motion to the handle portion so as to cause the         handle portion to rotate about its longitudinal axis, thereby         causing the free end of the wire to wind about the extending         support wire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a twitching tool according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the stabilising end of the twitching tool shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a fence suitable for using the twitching tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the manner in which the dropper of the fence of FIG. 3 is secured to the wire strands;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective top view of a dropper about to be secured to the wire strands of a fence structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective top view of the twitching tool of FIG. 1 in use with the dropper of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged side view of the twitching tool of FIG. 1 in use in an initial position;

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged side view of the twitching tool of FIG. 1 through a rotation of 180° from the position shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged side view of the twitching tool of FIG. 1 through a rotation of 180° from the position shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows an enlarged side view of the twitching tool of FIG. 1 through a rotation of 180° from the position shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 shows an enlarged side view of the dropper attached to the wire strand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.

The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use in affixing droppers to a smooth wire fence. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention could be equally employed for use in a variety of different types of fences, such as electrical fences or barbed wire fences and may be used to attach wires to other wires, outside of fencing applications.

Referring initially to FIGS. 3 and 4, a fencing system 10 suitable for using the present invention is shown. The fencing system 10 shown in FIG. 3, is in the form of a section of wire fence comprising a plurality of support posts 14 having a plurality of wires 12 extending therebetween under tension. Each of the support posts 14 are secured into a ground surface 5 and may include props and the like (not shown) to maintain support of the posts 14 in a substantially vertical manner.

Each of the wires 12 are typically high tensile wires that are attached to the posts 14 and post-tensioned accordingly. In order to maintain the desired vertical spacing between the wires 12, droppers 16 are positioned at regular intervals between the posts 16. The droppers 16 are preferably made from wood and do not extend to the ground surface 5. As is shown in FIG. 4, preferably each of the droppers 16 have shallow horizontal slots 16 a formed in a surface thereof to assist in locating the fence wire on the dropper 16, with the width of the slots 16 a being sufficient to accommodate the strands of fence wire 12 therein. Preferably, multiple slots 16 a are provided in the surface of the dropper 16 to enable the dropper 16 to be used in a variety of different applications with a variety of different wire spacings, as desired.

Referring to FIG. 4, in order to secure the droppers 16 in position on the wires 12, clips 18 are employed. The clips 18 are in the form of soft wire members having a first end 18 a formed as a loop that loops over the wire strand 12. The remainder of the clip 18 is in the form of a substantially U-shaped configuration that extends around the rear of the dropper 16 and terminates at a free end 18 b. In order to secure the dropper 16 in position against the wires 12, the free end 18 b of the clip member is gripped and then wound about the wire 12 so as to tighten the clip 18 in position. This tightening of the clip 18 causes the dropper to be urged into engagement with the wire 12 such that the wire is securely retained within the slots 16 a of the dropper 16. In the past, droppers have been attached with wire ties or clips on the top and bottom only, with the wire ties or clips being twisted 4-6 twists around the fence wire. Some droppers may employ four or so wire ties or clips along their length, depending upon the application.

A common conventional tool used to perform such “twitching” of the free ends of the clip members about the wires 12 is in the form of a tool that is held in one hand of the user and which grips the free end of the clip member. Such a tool may be a round or flat bar having a hole in one end through which the free end of the clip members are gripped. Such tools are available commercially, and many are fabricated in workshops by the individuals themselves. The tool is then manipulated to wind about the wire 12 by the user, with the user requiring to constantly change their hand position as they bring the tool back over the wire. In this arrangement, the user needs to continually adjust their hand position whilst retaining significant pressure on the free end of the clip member, which requires significant effort and is hard wearing on the user's hands and fingers. As the tool is typically employed in much the same way as a pair of pliers may be employed, should there be a change in spacing between the wires of the fence, different angular tool manipulation is required. In winding the free end of the clips, such a change in angle of manipulation of the tool can result in inconsistent wire coils being formed as the free end of the clip is wound about the wire. Further it is common for such a tool to resist smooth movement and move off square, or twist and fall off during use. This can waste significant time and can result in a coil winding that is unsightly and can significantly negatively impact the aesthetics of the fence.

In order to provide for a more simple and easy winding action of the free end 18 b of the clip 18 about the wire 12 as described above, a twitching tool 20 as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, the twitching tool 20 generally comprises a body 21 having an engagement end 22 and a stabilising end 26. The engagement end 22 is configured to engage the free end 18 b of the clip 18 and as such has a hole or recess 13 formed therein. The hole or recess 23 is configured to extend substantially orthogonal to the length of the tool 20 and the hole or recess 23 may be bevelled or otherwise shaped so as to enable the free end 18 b of the clip to be received therein so as to pass therethrough.

The body 21 is substantially U-shaped and comprises an elongate handle portion 24 that extends between the engagement end 22 and the stabilising end 26. The handle portion 24 is generally in the form of an elongate tubular portion that can be simply gripped by the user of the tool 20 during use, as will be described in more detail below.

The stabilising end 26 is configured to interact with the wire strand 12 when the tool 20 is in use such that the handle portion 24 can be gripped by the user so as to apply rotational motion to the tool 20 during use. In this regard, the stabilising end 26 comprises a locating portion 28 in the form of a hook member having a pair of recesses 27 which can receive and locate the wire strand 12 during use. It will be appreciated that the recesses 27 may be shaped to receive the wire strand 12 therein whilst still enabling rotational motion of the tool 20 to occur around the wire strand 12. In this regard, whilst a hook member 28 has been shown, other means for forming an interaction between the stabilising end 26 and the wire strand 20 are also envisaged.

As is shown in FIG. 5, in order to secure the dropper 16 to the wire strand 12. Clip 18 is firstly employed. With reference to the lower clip of FIG. 5, the end 18 a is firstly looped about the wire strand 12 such that the free end 18 b of the clip extends about the body of the dropper 16 and passes over the wire 12 to which the clip 18 is to be secured. In this position the user is able to employ the twitching tool of the present invention as is shown in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, the user simply places the tool 20 such that the free end 18 b of the clip 18 passes through the hole or recess 23 formed in the engagement end 22 of the tool. The stabilising end 26 of the tool 20 is then positioned such that the wire extends up into one of the recesses 27 formed in the hook member 28 such that the tool is suspended in position from the wire strand 12 such that the handle portion 24 extends substantially parallel with the wire strands 12. This is shown more clearly in FIG. 7.

In order to perform the twitching action so as to tighten the clip member 18 about the wire strand 12, the tool 20 is able to be gripped by the user by gripping the handle 24 so as to be caused to rotate about the wire strand 12 in the direction of Arrow ‘A’ (FIG. 6).

FIG. 8 depicts the tool 20 being rotated through an angle of 180°. In this position, the user is pulling on the handle portion 24 in the direction of arrow ‘B’, such that hook member 28 of the stabilising end 26 is retained in engagement with the wire strand 12. In this position, the free end 18 b of the clip member has been caused to bend around the wire strand 12 such that it forms a substantially loop around the wire strand 12, with the distal free end 18 b still projecting from the recess 23 of the engagement end 22.

FIG. 9 depicts the handle being rotated through a further 180° from FIG. 8. This position represents a 360° rotation of the tool 20 from the starting position of FIG. 7. In this position, the hook member 28 of the stabilising end 26 is maintained in engagement with the wire 12 due to the user applying a downward force to the handle portion 24 when it is at its lowest trajectory. The free end 18 b of the clip is still projecting from the recess 23 of the engagement end 22 however the free end 18 b has been would around the wire strand 12 a complete by a loop and a half to facilitate engagement with the wire strand 12.

Referring to FIG. 10, the tool 20 is depicted through another rotation of 180° from FIG. 9 which depicts the free end 18 b of the clip being wound through two rotations about the wire strand 12. As the tool 20 is at its uppermost point of its rotation, the user is applying an upward force against the handle portion 24 which continues to maintain the stabilising end 26 in engagement with the wire 12. By continuing to rotate the tool 20 through a further 180° and removing the free end 18 b of the clip 18 from the recess 23 of the engagement end of the tool 20, the arrangement as shown in FIG. 11 is create. In this arrangement the distal end 18 b of the clip member is securely wound about the wire strand 12 so as to ensure that the dropper 16 is securely retained in position against the wire strand 12.

Through repeating this process for each distal end 18 b of the clip members 18, the droppers 16 can be simply installed on each of the wires 12, thereby ensuring that the vertical gap between wire strands 12 is maintained and that the droppers 16 are integrally formed within the fence structure.

It will be appreciated that the tool of the present invention can be simply gripped in one hand and wound through a number of 360° turns. The simple handle enables the tool to comfortable rotate within the user's hand and ensures regular and consistent winding of the wire, irrespective of the spacings between the longitudinally extending fence wires. Such an arrangement does not require a different technique to perform the twitching function depending on the wire spacings, but provides a constant technique for simply and effectively twitching a wire in a one handed motion, regardless of the setting.

The present invention also provides the ability for the user to employ two tools, one in each hand, for use in twitching double sided clips in position. By simply employing the tool and winding the tool in each hand, both sides of a clip can be twitched in position to the wire which has not previously been possible with conventional tools.

It will be appreciated that the above tool provides a simple means for two wires to be twitched together across a variety of applications. The tool is able to be supported on a wire strand in a stable manner such that the user is able to provide a simple rotating motion to the tool to perform the twitching task without the need to apply gripping devices to the fee end 18 b of the wire and to further manipulate the wire.

Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the twitching tool uppermost.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

The claims defining the invention are as follows:
 1. A twitching tool for winding a free end of a wire about a longitudinally extending support wire, comprising; a body having; an engagement end for engaging with the free end of the wire; a stabilising end for engagement with the longitudinally extending support wire; and a handle portion extending between the engagement end and the stabilising end, wherein the handle portion is configured to be gripped by a user to facilitate rotation of the body about the longitudinally extending support wire to cause the free end of the wire to be wound about the longitudinally extending support wire.
 2. A twitching tool according to claim 1, wherein the engagement end of the body comprises an aperture through which the free end of the wire is received.
 3. A twitching tool according to claim 2, wherein the aperture extends substantially orthogonally to a longitudinal axis of the body.
 4. A twitching tool according to claim 1, wherein the stabilising end comprises a locating portion that is configured to be at least partially received about the longitudinally extending support wire.
 5. A twitching tool according to claim 4, wherein the locating portion comprises a hook member that hooks over the longitudinally extending support wire to support the body in position on the longitudinally extending support wire.
 6. A twitching tool according to claim 5, wherein the hook member has a channel into which the longitudinally extending support wire is received such that as the body is rotated about the longitudinally extending support wire, the hook member remains in engagement with the longitudinally extending support wire.
 7. A twitching tool according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion comprises an elongate tubular member extending between the engagement end and the stabilising end.
 8. A twitching tool according to claim 7, wherein the elongate tubular member extends substantially horizontally when the engagement end engages with the free end of the wire and the stabilising end engages with the longitudinally extending support wire, to facilitate gripping by a user.
 9. A twitching tool according to claim 1, wherein the engagement end, stabilising end and handle portion of the body are formed integrally.
 10. A twitching tool according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion has a cover provided thereon for gripping by a user. 